I have occasional muscle spasm on the right side of the lips. Should I consult a doctor?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have had a muscle spasm on the right side of the lip that has been going on for a little over 12 hours and it is a constant muscle spasm. It goes on for like a minute or two and then stops for a few seconds and happens again. I have had muscle spasms before but never one to last this long. I am not sure about what I should do. I am unsure if it is a bad thing or what is causing it. What would cause something like this? Is this a bad thing? should I go to the doctor?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your history and I want to explain something about lip twitching.

You told me that you have muscle spasms on the right side of the lip, this condition is known as lip twitching. It is not a serious symptom. So do not worry. It will happen because of excess stress, fatigue, and excessive intake of caffeine, such as cold drinks and coffee. The pathological cause is a deficiency of potassium ions in the diet. It is self-limiting. It will not cause any residual problems.

If you have this problem per hour or more than that, there will be some underlying pathologies that you have to be investigated. But in 90% population, lip twitching does not cause any problems. It is one type of involuntary contraction of lip muscles. It may also be due to the contraction of the muscle fibers as a result of direct stimulation or irritation or injury of the nerve supplying these muscles. Tics, spasms, tremors, bells palsy, and fasciculations (general muscle twitching) may also cause twitches of the lip. But all these disorders have other major symptoms also. So there is no need for any treatment or other investigation.